


The Prince In the Tower

by stelliums



Series: KH Rarepair Collection [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:55:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24423145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stelliums/pseuds/stelliums
Summary: Repliku accidentally discovers a new room in Castle Oblivion.
Relationships: Naminé & Riku Replica (Kingdom Hearts), Riku Replica/Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: KH Rarepair Collection [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1912663
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	The Prince In the Tower

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Xyzcl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xyzcl/gifts).



Riku knew the castle inside and out. There was little to do there other than draw with Naminé or avoid the other residents, who had appeared to make a game out of tormenting him. He rarely left Naminé’s side, if ever. However often he wandered around Castle Oblivion, he wouldn’t dare to go without Naminé. They had known each other for a long time and he didn’t want the ire of the Organisation to turn onto her.

There was one moment, though, when both of those constants ceased to be true.

He was running as fast as his legs could take him. His breathing was ragged and he was trailing one leg behind the other, but as long as he was still able to run he would keep running. Riku had pushed one of the temporary residents as far as she would go, and retribution from Vexen would follow soon after regardless of whether he ran. But running would secure his existence for another minute or two, and Riku didn’t plan to lose his life for ticking someone off.

Riku didn’t feel anything but he still collapsed to the ground. The marble floor was cold and hard, unwelcoming. Had she managed to hit him? Her aim was usually rather precise, so he could believe it. Why her lightning wouldn’t fry him from the inside out he had no idea. He heard her screech in frustration, although it was muffled.

“Agh! Where the hell has it gone!”

He stumbled to his feet. His leg still sat at an odd angle. Only then did he notice a large wall between himself and the direction of Larxene’s voice. It was no different to any of the other walls in the castle, and yet it had seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Larxene’s heeled boots created a distinctive, loud clicking sound against the floor as she paced around. Riku couldn’t help but smile wryly to himself at the thought of Larxene tearing her own hair out. “Vexen needs to discontinue the little brat...” Further clicking signalled that she had left to find other prey.

Riku slowly walked around the room that he had found himself in. “Naminé? Hello?” No one else would have been able to transport him to another room like that– no one else that cared about him at least. “Come on, I know it must be–“

In the centre of the room was a large marble throne. It was the only other thing of note in the strange place, except for it’s inhabitant. A young boy, barely any older than he was, sat slumped in the chair.

“–You.” Riku breathed out the word as he crept closer to the boy. His silence was marred by the scraping sound of his injured leg against the stone. The stranger had hair that looked to be made of spun gold and half-closed eyes the colour of the sea in his childhood home. “Who... are you? Are you like me? No, Vexen wouldn’t keep someone like me in some special room.”

The boy didn’t respond. Not even a single eye movement to prove that he was alive. When he thrashed his Keyblade at the wall, it stood firm, unmoving. Riku sighed and sat against the side of the throne.

“Did you get me out of there?” He asked. Perhaps this boy was like Naminé; someone with inherent magical power. A witch, some called her, if usually in a derogatory tone. If that was the case, no wonder he was locked up in a hidden room, kept away from anyone who might use his powers for their own means. “Thanks for that, but... I kind of need help getting out now.”

The sound of fast, pounding footsteps that echoed through the room woke him up. He must have remained there for so long that he had fallen asleep. Riku stretched and attempted to get up, leaning on the arm of the throne, but his leg made the simple action more difficult than it looked.

“Here, I’ll help you up.” Naminé’s soft voice was like a soothing balm for his nerves. She let him lean on her while he walked. His leg must have gotten worse from lack of movement while he had been asleep. “How did you get in here?”

“That boy... he must have let me in here. This room wasn’t here before! And... neither was that hall.” A long hallway stretched ahead of them. It was the only possible way for Naminé to have found him. “Nami, do you know anything about him? Search his memory.”

Naminé approached him cautiously, although there was no fear behind her eyes as she gazed up at the boy on the throne. “Ven.” When she was met with a confused look from Riku, she smiled. “His name is Ven... Ventus.”

“So, how did Ven end up here?”

“His memories are foggy... It would take years to piece all of the scraps together, and that might not even be right.” Naminé reached up to delicately tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. She and Ventus were strikingly similar, Riku couldn’t help but notice, although Ven’s hair was pure gold in comparison to Naminé’s blonde. “What happened to your leg?”

“...Larxene happened.” He felt like a wounded gazelle when Naminé stared at him. Without looking at her he could tell that her eyes were full of pity. It wasn’t the first time that he had been injured by bothering the wrong person or protecting Naminé from suffering the same fate that he was subjected to. He felt like he didn’t need pity for it any more; it was simply what he did.

Naminé placed a hand on his twisted leg. A green, glowing light surrounded it and melted into him. Riku relaxed and closed his eyes. His injury felt better already. 

“...Have you been practicing healing magic lately?” He winced as he attempted to get up. Naminé pressed him back against the side of the throne. Her eyes were wide; she was as surprised as he was. Surprised that her magic had worked? Riku smiled - it was just like Naminé, to be so humble about her many wonderful achievements. 

“No...” Her eyes wandered to the young boy. “I was only trying to soothe you... I don’t even know how to heal without any potions...” She said timidly. “I think we should thank our new friend for that.”

“Where do you think he came from, if he can’t tell you himself?”

“I saw glimpses of... a castle, like this one but more welcoming. Less of a fortress designed to keep us in and everyone else out.” Naminé held a few fingers to her chin in thought before her eyes lit up. “Maybe Ven was a prince! Weren’t there lots of old kingdoms around, before the Heartless?”

Riku could easily imagine those golden curls holding a crown. The clothes that Ventus wore were quite casual, but luxurious robes wouldn’t be out of place on the boy’s frame either. “...He could be.” He couldn’t guess why a prince of some old, long-lost kingdom would be found in a place like this. This was the Organisation’s castle, and it was clear that Ventus was unknown to him. 

Their bodies instinctively froze when they heard yelling at the other end of the hallway, and the clashing of blades. A fight had broken out nearby. Or training, but either option could be fatal for those involved. They had learned to stay away, otherwise they would be caught up in the carnage. Aside from him, there was no one who would protect Naminé if she was in the wrong place in the wrong place. 

Despite this fact, a fact that they both knew, Naminé stood up and ran through the hallway. “You’ll be safe here. I’ll stay in my study... the fight wouldn’t take itself there. Don’t do anything stupid for me, okay?” Naminé gave him an angelic smile before she was out of his sight.

“...Ventus? Close the hallway now! You don’t want them to find you!” He forced himself to stand and grabbed onto Ventus’s arm. Riku squeezed his eyes shut. Naminé had left him. Of course she had, he thought as he rationalised her decisions. “If she took me with her, I would only slow her down and provoke a fight. Do something stupid for her. Marluxia would at least not kill her... he’d be in her study, like usual.”

When he opened his eyes, he only saw a wall where the hallway had been. Riku let go of Ventus’s arm and realised that he had gripped it so tightly that there were red marks where his fingers had dug into his skin. “Sorry... must’ve been more frightened than I thought... Ha, look at me, apologising to a guy in a coma. Nami was right about that soft side of mine, huh?”

Riku thought that he heard a voice, a reply, in the back of his head. “...I’d like to hope so. Why did you run into a wall... Riku, wasn’t it?”

He knew his own name; he wouldn’t be so hesitant about it. His eyes scanned the room, searching for a source to the voice. It sounded nothing like his own. Lighter, for a start, more joyful than he usually cared to sound. “Can you... show yourself?” Riku brandished his Keyblade in front of him. If it was someone playing a trick on him, they would pay for frightening him. No, he was never scared. He couldn’t be. 

“This better?” Sitting next to his sleeping body was Ventus. He was perched on the side of the throne, his arms stretched behind his back. “It’s been a long time since I talked to anyone... My name’s Ventus. Call me Ven.” He reached a hand down for him to shake.

“Nice to meet you, Ven. I’m Riku, and I guess we’re stuck here for the near future.” He looked shocked when he realised that he could shake the spectre’s hand. “So... were you actually a prince?”

His comment made Ven laugh. It was a beautiful sound; Riku could listen to it forever. If the fighting outside never ceased, then maybe he could. “No! Where’d you get that idea from? I’m a Keyblade Wielder, like you.”

“How long have you been here?”

“...I don’t know, long enough to not be shocked to see myself appear out of my body? I can’t get out of here, though. And usually, no one can get in. You’re a special case.” Ven grinned and winked at him. “Enough about me, you still didn’t answer me. What happened to you?”

“I was being hunted for sport by a vindictive bitch.”

“You’ve got to be kidding. One of the other students?” This time he held a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter. “Sorry, I really shouldn’t laugh.”

Riku shrugged. “It’s fine. And no... she’s older than me. I’m the resident punching bag of this place, apparently. You... tried to heal me earlier, didn’t you? Do you mind doing that again? I need to get back to Naminé at some point, and I can’t do that with my leg like... this.”

“Sure!” Ven hopped off of the throne and sat down beside him. Riku sat back down and let him place his faded hands on his leg. The green light returned. Ven closed his eyes and concentrated. Riku felt the pain melt from his leg.

“That’s so good...” Riku moved his face closer to his, scrutinising him. How could he be so friendly to a stranger that had intruded in his room? “What do you want in return for helping me? I can’t believe you’ve been helping me out of the goodness of your heart... or because you’re bored.”

Ven frowned. “Why not? Do you not believe that I’d help you because you’re a friend? Or because you looked like you needed it? I’m sure you have a good heart in you somewhere too. You’d help me if I needed it.”

His self-confident grin almost convinced him of everything that he said. “Oh, you’d be surprised.” He was glad that Ven seemed not to have the power to see into hearts either. “I can be a real ass if I want to.”

“I’m sure you could. But there’s no need to be so... cynical.” 

Riku could feel his breathing, even though he was sure that he shouldn’t have been able to. “Cynicism works here. If I was as naïve as you, I’d be dead in a heartbeat.” He told him flippantly.

“What would you want me to ask you to do for me? Let me out, take me on a date? If you insist, I’ll ask you to do something... but only because you asked. You can back out if you want.” Ven leaned away from him after he noticed that Riku was warmer than before. “You’re going to find it kinda dumb, but I want to talk to you more. Get to know you. Who are you, Riku?”

“That’s it?” He scoffed. “If you were serious about the date thing, I can do that from here. Getting to know someone is what people do on dates, right? I only know anything from Nami’s stupid romance novels..” His face was the colour of beetroot.

“Nami? The girl from earlier? Tell me about her. You seem close.” Ven leaned closer to him again, clearly intrigued. 

Riku wondered if where he came from had any sense of personal space whatsoever, or whether this was just a Ventus thing. “Alright. Naminé is my best friend- we’ve known each other since we were young. We’ve never been far from each other - at least that’s what she told me.” He curled up, pleased when it no longer hurt to do so, and let out a sigh. “I... lost my memories when I came here. Nami is the only thing I have left from my old life, and the only person who knows anything about me worth saying. The Organisation - the other people here, they want her. They’ll never get her to do anything she doesn’t agree to, not while I’m alive.”

“My memories are gone too! All I remember is my friends, Aqua and... and Terra...” He paused and sniffled, wiping his eyes. Tears filled his eyes and threatened to spill over. 

Riku slowly placed a hand on his shoulder; Ven stared at him before he hugged him. It didn’t feel as though anyone was holding onto him at all. “Ven-?”

He gazed up at him. “I never got to see them before I showed up here. Ha... I miss them. You’re so lucky to have your friend with you... Don’t lose sight of her, alright?”

“Already got that covered. But I guess I have to look after you too, huh? Since you have no one around to look out for you.” 

“...Out of the goodness of your heart? See, I’m right.” He said in between sniffles. “What a first impression I’m making... falling into the arms of the first guy I see.”

He didn’t even try to contest him on that. “It’s nothin’. And you didn’t ‘fall into my arms’,” Riku insisted. “ _You_ saved _me_. I would’ve been fried alive if you hadn’t let me in here.”

“What would you call this then?” Ventus had a point; he was practically on top of him, clinging onto him. If he had been able to feel him, Riku would imagine that his grip on him was rather tight for someone who he’d only just met.

“...Comfort, I guess. You do get a little close though, don’t you, considering we’ve only known each other for half an hour, max.”

Ven inched away from Riku until he was just sitting next to him again. “I didnt mean to make you uncomfortable– sometimes I forget people have a personal bubble.”

Riku considered dragging him back into his arms. He hadn’t intended to make Ventus feel bad about it. To him he was only pointing out the obvious. “...I didn’t tell you to go away.” He muttered. His eyes flitted to another corner of the room.

At his words, Ventus shuffled closer to him so that his back was against the throne too. He rested his head on his shoulder and held onto Riku’s hand, playing with his fingers. Heat radiated off of Riku but Ven didn’t seem to care.

“What’s this called...?”

“This is just friendly affection.”

To him it seemed like something more than ‘friendly’. Riku was friends with Naminé too, the best of friends, but they weren’t always touching each other like this. Occasionally Naminé would hug him to provide him comfort, or he would hold onto her protectively whenever something happened. Sometimes they had fallen asleep together on lazier days, listening to the rain outside, but that was the most intimate they tended to get. Would Naminé appreciate more affection from him? Would Ventus like him to initiate affection like he did?

“Do I... come off as distant?” He asked Ventus. “Or standoffish? Because I’m less affectionate than you?”

“Not right now, you don’t. Why, are you scared you’re being seen like that?”

“That’s a loaded question, and I’m not _scared_ of it, but... I want to know.” The faint sensation of his hand holding onto his was relaxing to him. Riku laced their fingers together. “And I have a feeling that you have more experience with people than I do, so you’d probably know.”

“Being close to friends like this is just another way of saying you care about them. Some people are more affectionate than others, and that’s okay.”

“...Mind if I get a little closer? I didn’t mind you... holding onto me, earlier.” Riku squeezed his hand and wondered if Ventus could feel it.

While he glanced away from him to hide the red glow to his cheeks as he awaited Ven’s answer, he heard that the fighting outside was still going on. Even if there was an intruder, the others would surely deal with it. No one could be a bigger threat to Naminé than the people that were already there. Riku frowned. It wasn’t like him to be so... dismissive of a fight. Usually he would be one of the first to go in, swinging his Keyblade around like his life didn’t matter. But he felt peaceful despite the clashing of blades outside. He couldn’t bear to ruin that for a second, not even for a quick rush of adrenaline.

“Sure. And Riku...” Ven leaned in a little closer to rest his head on his lap rather than his shoulder and stretched out across him. This seemed more intimate than what could reasonably be described as ‘friendly affection’. “I like it when you smile like that.”

He hadn’t realised that the additional affection had wiped away his previous expression and replaced it with a gentle smile. “I’ll make an effort to do it more often, then.”

“No, I like it _because_ you’re not making an effort! It’s just... how you’re feeling. No walls.”

“...No walls.” Riku agreed. “Okay, enough about me. Tell me about you. You’re the one who is locked in eternal sleep, in a secret room in a castle in the middle of nowhere.”

Ventus rested his arms on his chest for a moment before he reached up and started to play with Riku’s hair. He tucked it behind his ear, or twisted it around his fingers. That was a reason to keep his hair long, he supposed. “I did lose my memory, so don’t expect anything too... detailed. I’m sixteen years old, I think, and I’m going to be a Keyblade Master some day. The last thing I remember is getting knocked out in a fight... no, a battle... and... cold. I’m asleep, but somehow I can still interact with things around me like this. I can’t leave this room, even though I can apparently create ways for other people to get in.”

Sixteen. That was a year older than he was. But Ven seemed both more and less mature than him at the same time. Although he knew that he couldn’t give him much information, Riku was transfixed by him. When he didn’t respond after Ven was silent for some time, Ven stopped messing with his hair and placed a hand over his cheek.

“Are you still with me?”

“Yeah, I’m still here. I was just... listening.” Riku murmured. Half of his attention was focused on the commotion outside. It had started to quieten down; a defeat, or a standstill. “I could hear nothing but your voice all day. I don’t care what you talk about.” He stretched his arms behind his back and rested his head against them. “What happens now the fighting has stopped outside? Do we get to do this again–?”

Ventus stared up at him, thinking for a few moments until his face lit up with a grin. “I can let you in whenever I want. I’ll see you soon, okay? Maybe next time you won’t stumble in here like a wounded animal.”

“I _was_ a wounded animal.”

“Right. It’s a date, then. I’m... not going to keep you trapped here.”

Date. Ven had mentioned a date as a repayment for helping him. The word repeated over and over and over in his mind. He hadn’t been on a date before. Riku was quite sure that a lot of dates included food, but that wasn’t possible with Ven. But this technically could count as a date, if that was how Ven wanted it.

Riku quickly brushed his lips over his cheek. It felt like his lips were touching thin air rather than skin. “It’s a date.” He watched Ven gaze up at him in wonder and delight as a red glow spread across both of their faces. Riku rose to his feet before Ven snapped out of his daze. “See you later, Ven. Mind opening a hallway to Naminé’s study?”

Ven raised a hand to his cheek where Riku had kissed it. “Oh, okay. Come back soon!” He called out to him. The hallway reappeared in front of him and Riku didn’t hesitate to run through it, back towards his friend. He admired Riku’s resilience; some people would stay in this hidden place forever, rather than leave to face the dangers outside. Ventus couldn’t help but wonder, though, how much longer he would be alone before Riku found him again. 


End file.
